


Saying "I Love You"

by Dragon_Lord



Category: Community (TV), Criminal Minds, Doctor Who (2005), Iron Man (Movies), Merlin (TV), Parks and Recreation, Psych, Pushing Daisies, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-03-20
Packaged: 2018-03-18 13:06:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3570707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_Lord/pseuds/Dragon_Lord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People say "I love you" in a lot of different ways.<br/>These are some of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Eat something" (Sherlock Holmes & Molly Hooper)

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a tumblr post I saw the other day: http://teaghantullly(.)tumblr(.)com/post/100889518157  
> It’s basically a short list of the different ways people say I love you with other words. I thought it’d be a cute multi-chapter, multi-fandom thing. I used several pairings. Not all of them are romantic. In fact, you can pretty much interpret each one how you want.
> 
> UPDATE 12/10: I am now taking suggestions for more chapters! I'd really love to add on to this story, so feel free to comment with another way people say "I love you" and I'll be sure to credit you in the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set post-season three.

The slide came into focus as Sherlock delicately twisted the microscope’s knobs. If his theory was correct (and they usually were), that very slide, containing a small sample of dirt, would mean life or death for his client, Ms. Naomi Keats. If he just adjusted a bit more…

The dull clap of plastic on metal broke his concentration and he jerked his head up. Next to the microscope was a tray of food. Low-quality: it had to have come from the hospital cafeteria. Sherlock wrinkled his nose and turned to Molly, who now stood next to him, for explanation.

“You need to eat something,” she ordered. Sherlock turned back to his microscope silently. There was a scrape as the tray was inched closer to him, nudging his arm. He huffed.

“Molly, you of all people know that I don’t eat when I’m on a case. Slows me down.”

“I don’t care,” she rebutted, crossing her arms. “It’s been days and it’s not healthy. I know the food here is hardly gourmet, but the fish usually isn’t that bad. Come on, I’ve even cut it for you.”

Sherlock opened his mouth, snarky comment about hospital food already prepared in his mind, but Molly shook her head.

“No, I’ll have no more arguments. Eat.”

Another moment passed as Sherlock weighed the situation in his mind. Molly had grown quite stubborn recently and if he didn’t give in then, she might never let up. And a grumpy Molly was difficult to work with.

As he pondered, Molly sighed. “Please? It’ll make me feel better if you did.”

Sherlock released one of the knobs of the microscope to take up the fork and stab a bite of the fish. Under Molly’s watchful gaze and while still frowning at her, Sherlock ate it. She smiled.


	2. "Buckle up" (Tenth Doctor & Rose Tyler)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set during season two.

“Doctor, have you ever actually driven a car before?”

“Course I have!”

Rose gave the Doctor’s back a skeptical look but followed him to the rental nonetheless. His long stride faltered a bit with his next words.

“Well… It’s been several hundred years, but it’s like riding a bike!” He turned around to face her with a confident smile and walked backwards. “Never forget! And I haven’t.” With that, he about-faced again and resumed his quick pace. Rose shook her head and sped up to catch him just as he was opening the door.

“Alright, hand ‘em over, Mister.” She held a hand out. The Doctor frowned.

“What?”

“The keys! No way I’m lettin’ you drive after a couple hundred year lapse.”

“I told you, I still remember h-“

“Keys. Now.”

He pouted but dropped the keys into her open palm and circled around to the passenger side. Rose grinned smugly.

“Thank you.”

She gracefully slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key. There were two identical thuds as both doors were shut. Rose looked expectantly at the alien beside her, who frowned.

“What are you waiting for?” he asked her.

She rolled her eyes. “Seatbelt! Come on, now, buckle up!”

He huffed and made a grand show of taking his seatbelt in hand and dramatically clicking it into place, before giving her a ‘Happy now?’ look. Rose nodded as she put the car in reverse.


	3. "Get some sleep" (Tony Stark & Pepper Potts)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after Iron Man 2.

Pepper sighed while sleepily making her way down to the garage. The metal steps chilled her bare feet and the noises got louder as she descended: clanking, whirring, muttering.

At the foot of the stairs, she stopped. There he was.

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor was Tony. God only knew what he was working on, but there was a robot standing by with a fire extinguisher, so it had to be dangerous. Without even glancing up, he spoke.

“Good afternoon, Miss Potts. What brings you here?”

Pepper squinted at him. “Afternoon? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Tony grunted as he shifted something into place. “Can’t be any later than 8:00. That still counts as afternoon, right? I mean, technically it is after noon, so.”

“It’s 1:30 in the morning, Tony.”

Finally, he looked up, confused. “I told JARVIS to let me know whe-“

“I did, sir,” interrupted the AI. “When I informed you that it was 8:00, you told me to give you another few minutes. After that, you ignored me.”

Tony frowned. “Oh, my bad. I’ll be done in a bit, Pep. Don’t wait up.”

Pepper shook her head and came forward to take his arm. “Nope. Come on, bedtime.”

He protested, but stood anyway. “Just a few more minutes, then I’ll come to bed. I promise-“

She pushed him toward the stairs. “JARVIS, lock up, will you?”

“Yes, Miss Potts.” As the couple left, lights shut off one by one.

“Pepper, I’m fine, really,” Tony continued to whine all the way to the bedroom.

“No, honey, you need to get some sleep.”

Tony gave a great sigh but finally quieted. He fell into bed next to her and threw an arm over her, pulling her close to his chest.

“Just so you know,” he whispered, “I’ll probably be thinking about that project all night and I won’t sleep at all.”

Pepper smiled, eyes closed. “Good night, Tony.”


	4. "Here, have my fries" (Shawn Spencer & Juliet O'Hara)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set sometime during season two or three.

“Hey, Jules! What’s-“

The blonde detective held up a finger for silence. Shawn’s grin faltered as she scribbled down one last sentence. She slapped her pen down and leaned back in her chair, rolling her wrist.

“Sorry, had to finish that paperwork before I got distracted.”

The psychic’s bright smile returned. “No worries, Jules! Gus and I were just stopping by to say hey,”

“And to see if there were any new cases,” Gus added quickly, giving Shawn a look. “Our cable went out again.”

Shawn rolled his eyes and ate a fry. For the first time, Juliet noticed that both men were carrying sacks of food, eating as they talked. Her stomach rumbled, but she focused.

“No, nothing new. I mean, yes, loads of new stuff, but nothing we can’t handle,” she rolled her neck and sighed. “In fact, we’ve been swamped all day. Robberies, vandalizing, a couple of jealous boyfriends turned stalkers, small stuff. But it wouldn’t stop! I mean,” she glanced at her watch and pouted, “it’s two-fifteen and I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast!”

Gus noticed her hungry eyeing and inched backwards, protectively shielding his food. Shawn, however, frowned, looked down, looked at Gus, looked at Juliet, looked back down, then sighed, coming to a decision.

“Here, have my fries.” He held out his food sack with a sympathetic smile.

Juliet looked up and beamed gratefully. She took the container and reached in. With a happy moan, she only had a chance to eat one before getting interrupted.

“O’Hara!” Lassiter barked from down the hall. “Come on, Interrogation A.”

Juliet nodded and began to leave with the fries.

“Thanks, Shawn!” she called over her shoulder. “I owe you one!”


	5. "I'm gonna draw you something" (Ned the Piemaker & Charlotte "Chuck" Charles)

The Piemaker could feel Chuck’s gaze on him as he kneaded the dough for what would soon be the latest in his line of Holiday-themed pies: an apple cinnamon with a hint of peppermint carefully baked into the crust. Ned could feel it, but he said nothing and let her watch, smiling. As he sprinkled a pinch of flour onto the tabletop to roll the dough, she spoke.

“You’ve got a very nice profile,” she mused. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

Ned’s significant brows wrinkled. “Not that I can recall. A dentist once told me I had lovely teeth that he’d be proud to work on, but no one’s ever commented on my profile.”

Chuck grinned. “You do have lovely teeth.”

“And to what do I owe these compliments?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute.” Chuck stood. “Wait here.”

Ned chuckled as she hurried out of the restaurant and presumably to the apartments above. She returned within two minutes, just as he slid the pie into the oven, and reclaimed her seat.

“I’m gonna draw you something,” she announced, waving an oversized sketchpad with gusto. “Start another pie.”

“Is this one of the many talents you developed through extensive book-reading?” Ned teased as he began the process of starting a new pie.

“Yeah,” Chuck muttered as she focused on her art, every so often glancing at her subject as he baked happily. The kitchen was comfortably silent for several minutes as he worked and she drew him working. Every once in a while, she’d frown and erase something and he’d grin.

As the second pie entered the oven, Chuck finally set her pencil down and sighed.

“Well, it’s not incredible,” she said with a smile, “but I like it.”

Ned leaned over her shoulder and observed the rough caricature of himself on the page and smiled wide.

“It’s perfect.”


	6. "You're a dork" (Leslie Knope & Ann Perkins)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set sometime during season six.

Ann was already waiting in Leslie’s office Monday morning with two coffees in hand when the Deputy Director walked in, yawning, and collapsed at her desk.

Ann frowned. “Long night?”

Leslie rubbed her eyes but smiled. “You could say that. Ben and I started a Harry Potter marathon yesterday afternoon but miscalculated just how long it would take.”

“Ben miscalculated? He’s an accountant, for God’s sake!” Ann handed over the second coffee, which her friend took with a grateful smile.

“Well, he didn’t factor in my commentary and trivia knowledge and it’s not really a true experience without it.”

Ann nodded. “It really enriches the story.”

Leslie sipped her coffee. “And we might’ve started making out between the sixth and seventh movies, which might’ve added some time.”

Ann’s brow wrinkled. “Is Harry Potter that much of a turn-on for you?”

“Look, it was after midnight,” Leslie insisted, “and Ben was talking crazy, saying things like ‘it’s late’ and ‘we should go to bed,’ as if you can just not finish a Harry Potter marathon you committed to, and I had to distract him somehow!”

Her best friend smiled. “You’re a dork. You know that, right?”

Leslie gave a tired laugh. “Yeah. I know.”


	7. "Be safe" (Gwen & Merlin & Arthur)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set sometime in season two or three.

Another Saturday, another early morning hunt. Gwen lifted her skirts and rushed out to the courtyard, basket bouncing against her leg. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the horses. They hadn’t left yet. She stopped to catch her breath before calmly making her way near the front.

“Merlin!”

The skinny young man on the second horse turned and smiled wide at the sight of her. He hopped down from his horse.

“Gwen! What are you doing here so early?”

Guinevere held up the basket full of fruit with a smile. “Just in case you all didn’t pack enough snacks.”

At the sound of her voice, Arthur, mounted on the front horse, turned as well.

“Guinevere!” He beamed. Gwen blushed and gave a curtsy.

“Good morning, Sire.”

His smile faltered at the title and he nodded once. After an awkward pause, Gwen raised the basket again.

“I’ve just come with some food for you and your knights.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind. I don’t think Merlin packed enough.”

Merlin glared and Gwen giggled at their teasing.

“I’m sure he packed plenty.”

Sir Leon and his horse cantered up. “Sire, we’d best leave now if we do not wish to lose daylight.”

Arthur cleared his throat. “Right, yes. Let’s be off. Come on, Merlin.”

Merlin took the basket from Gwen with a smile and re-mounted his horse.

“Be safe, you two!” Gwen called as the hunting party retreated. As they left her sight, she sighed and turned around. Back to her duties.


	8. "You can have the last slice" (Troy Barnes & Abed Nadir)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set anywhere between "Studies in Modern Movement" and "Geothermal Escapism." Basically when Troy, Abed and Annie were all living together.

It was a perfect Saturday evening. Inspector Spacetime, a large pizza, and Troy and Annie.

Wait. Not Annie. Just Troy.

Annie was with Shirley and Britta doing some girl thing Abed didn’t bother to remember.

Inspector Spacetime, a large pizza, and Troy. A minor disruption in his usual routine, but nothing too upsetting.

Twenty-eight minutes and four slices into the evening and Abed realized something. As Troy laughed loudly at Inspector Reggie, Abed looked to the space between them, to the pizza box.

One slice left.

He did a quick calculation in his head: He’d had four, Troy had had four. Leaving one left. No, that wasn’t right. He usually had three, Troy usually had three. And Annie-

Annie. She usually had three.

Abed hadn’t been paying attention this time. He’d grabbed another slice because it was there. He’d been distracted by the show. And now there was one slice and two people.

Crap. Crap crap crap.

Troy reached for a napkin and saw the box. He frowned.

“There’s an extra slice,” he said. “That’s weird. Annie, didn’t you-“

“Annie’s not here.” Abed said, still panicking internally.

“Oh,” Troy smiled and nodded. “That’s it. It’s cause Annie’s not here. You can have the last slice, buddy.”

Oh.

“Thanks,” said Abed simply as he reached for it.

Crisis averted.

Cool cool cool.


	9. "Did you get home okay?" (Derek Morgan & Penelope Garcia)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set soon after "Penelope."

Penelope Garcia was not at all surprised to hear her cell phone ring almost as soon as she crossed the threshold of her apartment. She smiled and rifled through her purse for it, flipping it open on its fourth chime.

“Garcia.”

“Did you get home okay, baby girl?”

“You mean did I make it inside without suffering any grievous bodily harm?” She kicked her shoes off and dropped her purse in exhaustion.

“Don’t joke like that. I’m serious.”

Garcia flopped down on her couch. “Derek, you know I _have to_ joke about things like that. It helps me cope. Besides, it was over three weeks ago!”

The phone line was silent. She sighed.

“Yes, I made it home okay. I’m fine.”

“Good.” There was a small chuckle. “You know I worry about you all the time, right, Garcia?”

She smiled wide. “And I appreciate it, Derek, I really do. I like having such a chiseled manly man looking out for me.”

Morgan laughed. “Good night, baby girl.”

“Sweet dreams.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please review and tell me how I did!


End file.
